← Alexander Engel

Tulukhchi (Water Carriers) on the Mtkvari River, Tbilisi, 1890

Tulukhchi, traditional water carriers of Tbilisi, transporting water from the Mtkvari River using donkeys and leather containers.

This photograph depicts tulukhchi, traditional water carriers of Old Tbilisi, standing with their donkeys loaded with leather water containers known as tulukh. Before the introduction of modern water supply systems, tulukhchi transported water from the Mtkvari River to homes, markets, and bathhouses throughout the city. The profession was a characteristic feature of everyday life in nineteenth-century Tbilisi.